Halo 4 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2308 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,571 out of 2308
  2. Mixed: 155 out of 2308
  3. Negative: 582 out of 2308

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  1. GameInterpreter
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Halo 4 is living proof that the Halo series made so famous by Bungie is in good hands with 343. 343 also went on to prove that it's possible to change a game series for the better as opposed to Call of Duty and the Ezio story of Assassin's Creed.

    10 out of 10
  2. socketwrench14
    Jun 18, 2013
    8
    343i did well on Halo, they really did, but several things really held it back as an avid fan of the franchise. pros: solid controls solid weapons felt good to use great multiplayer(something we haven't seen since halo 3) amazing visuals gorgeous cutscenes cons: disappointing story. As a reader of the books, the end just absolutely made no sense and was the height of anti-climax.

    poor level design at times. It felt like the library all over again, just repetition with no clear next location

    uninspired spaces didn't always feel like Halo I knew, while others were amazing, there seemed to be a gap in cohesive design.

    Overall its a game that works out well. But if you don't care for multiplayer it would be a tough game to suggest to someone.    … Expand
  3. Blondz
    Jun 17, 2013
    10
    I don't get the big whoopdy do about how this game is the same as the others, so is every CoD and Assassins creed game. This game takes what the old one does and recreates it with better graphics and a new story. Whilst the story isnt as good as the rest of the series, the multiplayer is fun and spartan ops is awesome. I just wish playstation fan boys would stop giving this game 0 out of 10 or 1 out of 10… Expand
  4. zyryx
    Jun 16, 2013
    6
    I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this game, the single player campaign that is. After the two previous titles, Reach and ODST, I didn't have any hope. But the game was amazing, great story, beautiful music. Multiplayer was a complete joke. Gigantic, ill conceived levels. The same boring mechanics, with played hoping about like idiots, over powered weapons. Halo multiplayer has been a complete waste of time for the casual gamer since Halo 3, favoring the preteen with nothing to do but spend hours a day playing the game. Only SWAT mode is any fun. But if you are going to play SWAT mode, then why bother with Halo in the first place as there are much better FPS you can play. Definitely pick this up used for the Single player.… Expand
  5. aryh98
    Jun 14, 2013
    4
    just bad this aint cod
  6. Brenden120
    Jun 14, 2013
    3
    It's not that bad if you don't think of it as a Halo sequel as the story itself was a bit cheesy and unoriginal, and has several repetitive tasks. As for the multiplayer they took all originality away trying to make it more of a CoD style multiplayer. (eg: load outs /w unlock-able guns and equipment, and kill streaks) Not much replay value for me as I didn't like the campaign in the first place.
  7. Dastrados
    Jun 14, 2013
    8
    Like Call of duty and halo 3 had a baby. Not as retarded as Halo Reach. Halo 4 is a decent enough game. Campaign is interesting but no where up to par of the first three halos. Bottom line if u disliked halo reach you'll have similar feelings to this game. MP is too much like cod now. I just wanted a halo game, not a hybrid of cod.
  8. SniperFish
    Jun 13, 2013
    3
    NOTE: this is just my opinion and you don't have to agree with me. Single player: fantastic story, very good for John, fantastic direction, new enemy and the perfect start, but Halo 4 is embarrassingly short, I don't understand why 3 years of development and they did not put much into it, the story and the whole trilogy is wrecked if Halo 5's campaign isn't big and it probably won't be, I wonder about Halo 5 and I think it would be a big story that should have aleast 20 big levels, you do have to bear in mind that 343 were focusing on Halo Anniversary and that this is their first game. Interrogation scene: do the ONI suddenly despise SPARTANS now? Dr. Halsey kidnapped children and turned them into SPARTANS, which were originally used to crush rebels or something, so? why does it matter now? they would've died anyway since what ever their home planet was, got burned to ash by an alien invasion and that happened to billions of other people, this doesn't make sense, who cares cares that kids were taken away? they became heroes later on, other kids died during the process of becoming SPARTANS though. I don't understand this. Spartan Ops is good, but there is no Firefight, again, 3 years of production and even that's missing. There are 3 Forge World maps, unfortunately they are small and have very limited boundaries even a space map with stupidly limited boundaries. I've looked at the game again, they introduced Forge Island, but with the other 3 maps, there are structures in a section, which is named what the map is, which is budget of around 10 each, but not on Forge Island, and like with Reach, the budget limit is still stupidly high, it's for reasons like the console freezing or lagging, but it doesn't need to be that limited, it's totally unnecessary. You can buy weapons and perk sort of things which is good, and good that it's assault/precision guns only, but loads of missing game modes no Stockpile no Head Hunter no Assault no Race. What makes the multiplayer far worse is that weapons now don't respawn and 343 only seem to care about human weapons; at a base, instead of a Beam Rifle it would have a Sniper Rifle, predictable. There is no Beam Rifle playlist, no Carbine or Light Rifle in SWAT and with that "Shotty Snipers," you get shotgun, but no Scattershot. This is a science fiction game, 343 made it, they designed the weapons and then they don't put the alien and Forerunner counterparts to the human weapons. I also hate the way you earn armour now, by hard commendation challenges (the community probably wanted that) especially that they are too hard to keep track of. I don't know for sure why they've taken out weapon respawn. Do you think it was bad? apparently it was! I've never seen any complaints about weapon respawn, it makes Halo more unique, it's very important, part of Halo. It's stupid and boring, playing with just assault rifles and precision guns now, I'm surprised the communities not complaining, some weapons are placed across the maps at start, but they don't respawn. "Ordnance ready!" it'll be a weapon or temporary power-up, but it gets harder to get and is not enough to keep you playing a game without just using carbine weapons. As a good player, you will earn average 4-5 drops in a game. I don't know how many fans like this change or whether they do or not, but you don't earn enough ordnance to justify it and you should have selection of 2 weapons, completely ruined the game for me, annoys me just thinking about it. With that Flood Mode, it's stupid that you can use Promethean Vision. There are no Elites in multiplayer. Reach has lots of problems and a terrible campaign, they screwed up Halo CE Anniversary by making the multiplayer a map-pack for Halo Reach and now Halo 4 is a bad game... I enjoyed the campaign but I was very annoyed at the end for it's short length. Halo means a lot to me and had a big influence on me getting the Xbox 360 3 years ago. Again, I wait 18 months desperately for a game and it's bad. 3 years of development and +awesome new Promethean enemies, +better graphics and sound effects, +Spartan Ops, -VERY short campaign. -Multiplayer falls apart; weapons don't respawn for whatever stupid reasons, missing game modes, small Forge map boundaries, and not enough maps, no big maps and a stupid setup, -no Firefight, -unlock armor by commendations. -Why not let us play vs our friends in matchmaking? it makes the game more fun. -And why not let us carry more weapons? oh I get it, because in reality, people can't? Halo should NOT be taken seriously. Would that make the game less competitive in multiplayer? would it cause bad balancing? I don't think so, I totally agree it would make Halo better, more unique and more away from typical shooters.Simple: keep 2 weapon limit for the multiplayer then, for matchmaking. Halo 4 took 3 years of development, this review took me 3 hours. To me, I think Halo 4 is just a wreckage, not a package. To me, Halo 4 is the biggest letdown of 2012.… Expand
  9. WarlordDanyon
    Jun 12, 2013
    8
    Halo 4 was a great game I really enjoyed it but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be but I had a really good time playing this game solo or with friends but preferably with friends on the campaign on legendary. But some parts I didn't really enjoy like the DLC which was really awful, in my mind the default maps were a lot better but I still had a great time.
  10. Caanite
    Jun 11, 2013
    9
    Halo 4 is an awesome game. 343's first original attempt at creating a Halo game has succeeded. However the downsides are that they made flood too diluted compared to Halo: Reach and that Forge Maps don't have enough space.
    Concept: 8/10
    Graphics: 9/10
    Sound: 7/10
    Playability: 9/10
    Entertainment: 10/10
    Total Score: 9/10
  11. kretell
    Jun 11, 2013
    5
    lets be honest with each other franchises at the moment are really milking it. This is one of them there is nothing in this game that stood out as a major innovation. Its just Halo that's it, remember when you played halo 3 well don't get halo 4 because you already played it I love halo i was a great franchise and it had a few spin offs that i also enjoyed. But there's nothing here i haven't seen before in other Halo games. What happened in the campaign besides cortarna getting p**sed off at people and i know people will say well bungie didn't make it no and that's probably why it wasn't anywhere near as good as past Halo games. Technically there's nothing wrong with the game. you get the odd glitch here and there but nothing new to the Halo series. The only draw here is multiplayer but it not even changed enough from the last game to make it OK to spend £40 on it. All i see with this game is a way for franchises that developers know people will buy becoming a way to make a quick buck.… Expand
  12. tehMoerz
    Jun 8, 2013
    4
    This game is nearly complete garbage. This game makes me wonder where 343 is going with the franchise. They replaced Firefight with Spartan Ops which was awful. When they gave us more forge features they provided us with no forge maps. They took away a lot of Custom Game options, removed even more Theater features, and to top it all off, Multiplayer is unplayable. It is not Halo. The only good feature of this game was the Campaign.… Expand
  13. Dreamshaker
    Jun 5, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have every single Halo game, and this is the most polished as far as graphics and multiplayer inclusions go (except for the maps). The campaign continues to add a new story path but the gameplay is very very similar to all the other Halo games which is starting to mount now. The online Spartan Ops replaces firefight with similar type point to point mission sets needing to kill approximately around 100 various enemy combinations between point activations through each mission. These 50 mission sets (spanning 10 chapters) can be measured up with firefight as an alternative where time taken with death count, difficulty setting andoverall enemy kill score can be stacked/scored, but to me it felt more repetetive than challenging. The last 2 chapters were a grind (10 missions) but perhaps it would be more challenging if I went through them in heroic or legendary, as I did it in normal difficulty. I recently returned to the campaign on above normal, and the challenge is coming out now which will make the game last well and strong until Halo 5 on the new XBox One! Going through the campaign the second time now on the higher difficulty (legendary), I am picking up on the story better where Spartan Ops and even the TV series Forward unto Dawn has some very good linkages. Lastly, the upgrade system has improved from Reach with achievement inclusions with Halo Waypoint which points the way to Halo 5 on the new XBox One being even better with a TV series inclusion. Overall, Halo 4 is a good continuance, improvement and add on, though the gameplay is starting to wear thinner over time. Gameplay inclusions are better with capture the flag, weapon strengths, ordinance drops even though the maps are not as good. I want to give the game a 9, but give it an 8 because I liked the fact that firefight on previous Halo games allowed for 2 player split screen action without needing a second xbox live subscription, so it is missing that with Spartan Ops as a replacement. Had to pull my score down to 8 because this is a concerning detractor.… Expand
  14. unluckydice
    Jun 5, 2013
    9
    might not be as good as it's predecessor but it doesn't fall to far from the tree, although wish it had off been a few hours longer, the games soundtrack gameplay graphics are all spectacular, I did find the story a bit dry but I was just glad to revisit the halo universe again and play as the chief
  15. Ravens1294
    Jun 4, 2013
    10
    The game was really fun and it was a good game.
  16. Tokokojin
    Jun 4, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game one a steaming pile of Not only did they take what was good with the halo series and absolutely destroy it, they also decided that call of duty was a good game style to jack. Literally call of halo. Call of duty is the poster child for over-used garbage, and 343 decided to the out of it. The story is beyond trash, plot holes everywhere, and the ending is a joke! Since when can an AI produce a shield to block a nuclear explosion? If so, WHY THE DO YOU EVER DIE IN THE CAMPAIGN? Why did cortana hold that back during the entire game. 343, do me a favor, go bankrupt, then kill yourselves.… Expand
  17. electriclight41
    Jun 3, 2013
    6
    Count me in the minority on this one. I don't know if it's because I was used to the greatness of the Bungie Halo games or what, but I was severely disappointed in Halo 4. It didn't have firefight. The multiplayer is full of glitches. The story is pathetically mundane. And the spec ops missions were the most boring, repetitive things ever. This list of annoyances goes on and on.

    I will     say the cutscenes had probably the best graphics I've ever seen. And the game overall is a slightly entertaining diversion. But the fact I traded it back in way earlier than all the other Halo games I've owned speaks for itself.… Expand
  18. Jake_
    May 28, 2013
    5
    I remember playing Reach with my friends all the time on the XBox, it was like i was glued to the screen. I must have put at least 100 hours into that game and it never got boring. Halo 4 on the other hand, whilst not a bad game per say, had me turning off my console after only a few hours of gameplay and not coming back to it for weeks. Disappointing.
  19. HATEPOLICY
    May 28, 2013
    5
    I come from Gears Of War, Epic games, UT etc. Halo 4 is my 1st Halo, I dont play campaigns except for Gears, so my rating only goes for MP, Multiplayer bored me already and I just started playing it, People spamming weapons with no skill what so ever, COD is better and thats a joke also. Gears of War Judgement is the biggest joke though, hence me trying out Halo. We are all in the same boat, originality is a thing of the past now days in gaming,
    They all just rehash off each other.    … Expand
  20. TheOnlineGamer
    May 27, 2013
    10
    I was fully satisfied when I finally played this Game. I'm not gonna lie, I was completely 'Halo-ed' out after Halo 3 and Reach and I was just losing interest in Halo, with plans to get a PS4!

    Halo 4 is the game that not only regained my faith in the series, but also made choose to buy an XBOX One instead of a PS4. That's an accomplishment that 343 Industries should pat themselves on th    e back for. Looking forward to Halo 5!… Expand
  21. diggs16
    May 26, 2013
    4
    I thought long and hard about giving this game a lower score because of 343's blatant destruction of my absolute favorite game series, but I was objective. By category, here is how I review this game:

    Graphics/Sound: Excellent. I was skeptical about O'Donnell not doing the score, but Davidge did it justice. The graphics update was a nice touch, and this Halo is easily the best looking.


    Campaign: Decent. I would not go so far as to say it was good, but it was serviceable. It continued the story of the most beloved franchise character, and added a touch of humanity to MC as well. Didact was very forgettable as a villain, and he hardly seemed present throughout the game. The storyline with Cortana was so-so, decent but predictable.

    Multiplayer: Bad. This is what the Halo franchise is known for, and 343 REALLY dropped the ball. First of all, they had no beta, which is a huge mistake. This predictably led to balancing issues with weapons and load outs, bad hopper composition, and a very poor selection of maps to accompany the hoppers. Second, the game launched with no competitive ranking system. This was highly criticized with Reach, and yet they repeated the same mistake. When they finally did institute it, they mad it only visible on Waypoint, did not take into account any previously accumulated stats, and used a very bad and watered down rating system that is NOT Truskill (previously used in H3). Third, the map selection at launch was terrible. I know I glazed over this in the beta bit, but 8 maps at launch is not good. To compound the problem, the maps did not compliment the launched hoppers. There were very few small sized, arena type maps for Team Slayer, and the composition forced people to play Big Team. The need to launch a DLC just 1-2 months after launch shows that the needed content did not ship with the game. Fourth, the game hoppers at launch were lacking. There was no Team Snipers, no Griffball, Slayer Pro was taken down after a few weeks, and King Of The Hill was removed shortly thereafter. The choices were basically Team Slayer, or Big Team. Fifth, 343 allowed the king of competitive shooters to be dropped by the MLG. This was a serious mistake, and showed their intentions of moving away from a part of their fan base, which happened to be the most loyal and enduring of their followers.

    In summary, this game is in fact COD: Master Chief Edition. By alienating their core audience, 343 has all but eliminated multiplayer. At launch, the game boasted around 450,000 players in multiplayer during peak hours. At current time, the highest population for a current day is around 40,000. Currently, H4 ranks 5th in XBL player activity behind BO2, Minecraft, FIFA, and MW3. This game is less popular than a COD game that was released 1.5 years ago, and is widely considered to be the worst COD entry. I feel that a small bit of emotion is warranted, and I can only describe it as betrayal. I would pick this game up used in the bargain bin, but cannot justify anyone paying full price for it. I will certainly think long and hard before grabbing another 343 game, but by the time Destiny comes out, I doubt I will even think about Halo any longer.    … Expand
  22. Yummyzombie
    May 26, 2013
    7
    My score is 7 because I just never liked the shooting in Halo games... They have really low recoil and the enemy spawning is just stupid! Seriously spawn hordes of enemies when you go to an objective and spawn even more of them when you press a button?! The new Prometheans are cool and probably the best enemies in Halo. AND THE GRAPHICS ARE FIRETRUCKING AWESOME!
  23. Beetleofbartlby
    May 25, 2013
    8
    With Halo 4, sound design and graphics really shine. Combat controls are still extremely good, tight, and feel that they're controlled by you. Fans of single player and multiplayer will be very pleased with this installment, but should Halo have just been left to die? The story is fast paced with its combat, dramatic with the story itself, beautiful in its presentation, and well paced. Levels don't get stale or repetitive, and the classic Halo enemies are a joy to fight, and the new Prometheans are absolutely terrifying (impossible on Legendary). On the multiplayer side, it is both equally intense and rewarding. You still have the same old-same old FPS leveling up system and the basics of each match, even with an objective, is just shoot people until the match is over. Armor customization options like helmets and chest plates look cool, but are generally pointless other then identity purposes. However, the combat and game modes are addicting and offer a couple of new things to be seen. Forge, the number one draw for me, was lackluster and extravagant at the same time. Forge specific maps are tiny and seem rushed, and the objects are just reskined versions of Halo: Reach and Halo 3. Overall, Halo 4 was exciting, beautiful, and somewhat disappointing.… Expand
  24. savagejoe444
    May 25, 2013
    8
    This is definitely the Halo game I was waiting for! I was disappointed with Halo 3, but found some enjoyment in the prequels: Halo Reach, Halo Wars, and Halo 3 ODST. However, Halo 4 will never be better than Halo 2!
  25. LadyJ
    May 23, 2013
    5
    Firstly, I want to say I LOVE the Halo universe. My brother and I spent many hours playing the first one and it holds a special place in my heart and on my shelf.... That being said, WHAT THE EFF DID THEY DO TO CORTANA?!?!!? OMG! I can't get over it! She went from being a serious side kick with a touch of sexy to just plain dumb, in all sense of the word. I didn't care about her at all in this game. Give me back H3's Cortana!
    They gave her bigger, droopier boobs, more curves and to top it all off, a giant gap toothed grin that just refuses to stay behind her botoxed lips that constantly hang open. ok rant over. Back to the real stuff.
    I am very torn with this game. I want to love it because it's more Halo, more John FORERUNNERS!!; but at the same time, it's bad. You have a busted AI, hopping around this giant "installation" you just found and she's acting like she's the one who built it. I really felt like this was just a game of running around jamming a rampant AI into random holes and just going along for the ride. Turn this off! Go here! Blow that up! Oh, that's the Diadact!... wtf? And did I miss something? Because I thought that the Covenant were no longer against us...Or even a cohesive group since the Prophet's were overthrown.

    Now the Multiplayer. I could be wrong on some counts, I didn't play online since H2 but I much preferred being joined with people roughly my lvl. Not a party of 3 high levels all on the same team, meanwhile me and my last picked losers get utterly obliterated when they finally make full teams and decide to give the good guys, even better ones. Only other complaint is the Theatre. CoD Bo2 keeps several if not all of your games for you to watch and rewatch. It even gives a neat little option where you can see through walls and watch the enemy come to you from afar. I get stuck with only my most recent game and there are not many options for me to choose from to take screens. Which also means I have to back out of que if I had a particularly kick ass game I want to screen before playing again. Frustrating.
    Of course, it's got great sound and graphics, the extras are nice (Spartan Ops), and... it's more Halo, but not really in the direction I was hoping for.    … Expand
  26. VinDeagle
    May 23, 2013
    3
    343 butchered the hell out of a great franchise. This game is basically Call of Duty with the Halo atmosphere. You can call in ordinance from kill streaks(Call of Duty), custom classes with perks to choose from(Call of Duty), get put into games that have already started(Call of Duty). The community is just as bad as the game mechanics. You will find many people who abuse perks like active camo and promethean vision and truly ruin the entire match. The ghost is severely overpowered, you can't join a single game that doesn't have kids spamming the ghost plasma shot(which does way to much damage). The maps are horrendous. You will end up playing Exile over and over again and watch as your teammates race to the Gaus-Hog and destroy it when they don't get it every damn match. Terrible game, terrible community, don't buy this and wait for Bungie's new game.… Expand
  27. MaxGayLord
    May 16, 2013
    5
    Lets be honest, although the campaign was fun up until the last few levels, the narrative was absolutely bollocks. The story was as vanilla as it could get. Thankfully multiplayer makes up for that. The combat isn't traditionally what you would find in a Halo game, but it is a fun experience none the less. It is a pity that only a third of the maps are utilized in multiplayer and even then some playlists a plagued with garbage community forge maps.… Expand
  28. H360
    May 15, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.… Expand
  29. mrgeebaby
    May 12, 2013
    1
    343 are armatures they have never made a AAA game yet, and it is something that still needs ticking off their 'To Do' list. Matchmaking (ignoring all the gimmicks and broken mechanics) is a laggy mess! It is broken simple as that. They sold me a game that does not work. Campaign Pathetic Patronising button push sequences stolen from CoD Why? Whole levels based around pushing a button at the end of a map and then going back to the start.
    A Boss you don't fight.
    Stupid enemy AI new Prometheans have no tactical manoeuvres like the covenant.

    Online population has seen a massive drop which makes finding a MM game even more difficult!

    Avoid this game!

    Destiny Awaits!    … Expand
  30. BremBird
    May 11, 2013
    10
    Possibly one of the best games i have ever played!
    Should be much higher than 6.9
    Enjoyable and rewarding combat
    great story
    Great Multiplayer and modes
    What is not to love!
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 87
  3. Negative: 1 out of 87
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    90
    Halo 4 eschews esoteric delivery for a sledgehammer story with a blockbuster aesthetic. Epic, engaging and sensorially awesome. [Jan 2013, p.60]
  2. Eurogamer Portugal
    Dec 5, 2012
    90
    In the end, this game is still a fairly conservative and faithful to the original spirit, even with some significant changes.
    Read full review
  3. DailyGame
    Dec 3, 2012
    75
    The narrative is outstanding, even in spite of a few plot-point missteps, and the character evolution of Master Chief and Cortana deserves to be further explored with these wonderful storytellers (well, maybe one of them can't happen, but I'll avoid spoilers). However, the gameplay feels jilted, awkward and unrefined, three unforgivable sins in a landscape populated with other quite-capable FPS franchises. As a result, I'm going to average everything out: great story plus bad gameplay equals an average experience. And in this overcrowded FPS genre, "average" is isn't something I'd recommend buying.
    Read full review
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